The present invention relates generally to packages and more particularly to an improved package and method for making such a package.
The present invention represents an improvement over the package and method of making a reopenable package disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,814 and the U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,341, respectively.
Packages disclosed in the above-described patents are envelope or pouch-like structures having a front and back wall. One wall is a web of transparent film composite consisting of an outer layer of polyester film and an inner layer of a heat sealable material. The other wall is a web of paper. Both ends of the pouch can be sealed closed and the closure seal at either end can be designed to be easily openable.
With closed packages made in accordance with the above-described patents, it has been found, in some applications and in some instances, that the web of film material can be ripped or torn as the package is being opened. Although the openable package closure seal in these cases usually opens also, the additional tearing of the film inwardly from the opening end of the package is undesirable for reasons that will next be explained.
Packages of the type described in the above-discussed patents are typically utilized for enclosing medical or surgical articles and the sealed pouch is then autoclaved to sterilize the article enclosed therein. Such a package can then be stored for a long period of time while the article contained therein remains sterile. During such storage, the surface of the package may become dirty and/or contaminated with bacteria. When the package is eventually opened properly, there is little chance for dirt or bacteria to be transferred from the exterior surfaces of the package to the interior. However, if the web of film-like material is torn inwardly of the openable end during the opening process, the contamination from the exterior of the film-like surface may enter the bag along the tear and contaminate the instrument.
In order to reduce the possibility of contamination of surgical instruments contained within such packages, it would be desirable to reduce the possibility of tearing the web of film-like material inwardly of the openable end seal. Further, it would be desirable to reduce the possibility of film tearing during opening of the package by providing a simple and relatively inexpensive structure in the package, which structure could be fabricated simultaneously during the normal fabrication of the bag, such as during the formation of seals which connect the film web to the paper web.